Mail-bag deliverer.



H. W. BENDER.

MAIL BAG DELIVBRBR.

APPLICATION rum) ABBA, 1913.

1,067,395. Patented July 15, 1913.

,G\ 33.1. P I

HENRY W. BENDER, OF EAGLE GROVE, IOWA.

Iv'IAIL-BAG- DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fat-ented July 15, 1913.

Application filed April 4, 1913. Serial No. 758,923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY lV. Brennan, citizen of the United States, residing at Eagle Grove, in the county of Wright and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Deliverers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mail bag cranes and more particularly to devices for holding the mail bag in position to be engaged by the catcher arm either for depositing the mail pouch into the car or delivering the same from the car while in motion and without stopping the car or slacking the speed.

The improved device may be applied without material structural change to any of the mail cranes in common use, and may be employed upon the crane attached to the car or to the post or other supports at the station, and it is not desired to limit the use of the invention to any special form of crane or to cranes employed in any particular locality.

For the purpose of illustration the im proved device is shown applied to a con ventional crane for holding a mail pouch in position to be caught by the catcher member attached to a moving car, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a conventional mail bag crane with the improvement'applied, and including a portion of a railway car and a catcher arm. Fig. 2 is an en larged plan view of portions of the device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents parts of the improved device in perspective and separated.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Devices of this class include arms extending from a suitable support and to the outer end of which a mail pouch is supported in position to be engaged by the catcher mem her, and may be arranged either upon the car or upon a stationary support alongside the track.

lVhen arranged alongside a track the improved device includes a post 10 of any suitable size and located sufliciently far from the line of travel of the cars to avoid contact therewith, and is provided with two lateral arms 1112, the latter being preferably hingedly united at 13-l l to the post 10 so that they can be projected at right angles to the posts when required to sup port the pouch, and adapted to be moved upwardly or downwardly in parallel relations to the posts when not in use. The members l1l2 are usually formed of gas pipin generally 1 inch pipe, but may be constructed of other material if preferred.

One of the improved devices will be attached to each of the arms 1l-12 and are precisely alike and the description of one will suffice for both.

Each of the improved attachments comprises a head 15 having a stud 16 for entering the members 1112 and is secured therein in any suitable manner preferably by a transverse bolt 17. The head 15 is provided with a longitudinal recess 18 in its upper face to receive a flat spring 19 which projects forwardly of the head and is curved downwardly and provided with a recess 20 in its free end, the object to be hereafter explained. The lower portion of the head 15 is reduced, as shown, whereby a flatshoulder 21 is produced. Bearing beneath the reduced portion of the head 15 is a plate 22 and provided with a supporting finger 23 extending in advance thereof. The head 15 and the bearing member 22 are perforated to receive a pivot bolt 24. The spring 19 is apcrtured to receive the upper threaded end of the bolt 24, while the head 25 of the bolt bears against the member 22. Aclamp nut 26 engages the threaded end of the stud 2a and bears upon the spring 19. The portion 24 of the pivot pin is larger than the threaded portion so that the member 22 is free to oscillate upon the pin without interfering with the spring, which may be firmly clamped in position without increasing the grip between the parts 15 and 22. The recess 20 of the spring 19 engages over the upper edge of the finger 23 when the latter is disposed in longitudinal alinement wit-h the stud 16, and thus holds the finger yieldably in its central or operative position.

By arranging the upper face of the member 15 with the spring receiving recess 18 therein, the spring is firmly supported and held from lateral movement through the medium of one single clamp bolt as shown. The finger 23 is considerably thicker vertically than the plate 22 so that a shoulder 27 is produced to bear against the outer end of the bracket member 15, while the rear end of the plate 22 is disposed in close proximity to the shoulder 21. By this means longitudinal strains are borne by the relatively heavy shoulders which bear respectively against the head member 15 and the plate 22.

By employing the recess 18 for the reception of the spring 19 the latter is firmly supported in position by the same bolt which is employed to secure the members 1522, the bolt thereby performing the twofold function of a means for holding the body portions together and at the same time holds ing the spring in position.

One of the improved devices is attached tothe arm 11 and located with the plate 22 downwardly, while the other device is attached to the arm 12 and arranged with the plate 22. directed upwardly as shown in Fig. 1 By this means the springs 19 are located respectively aboveand below the fingers 23, so that the straps 28-29 upon the mail pouch, represented conventionally at 30, may be located upon the fingers 23 and beneath the springs 19, as represented. The springs will be of sufficient strength to hold the mail pouch against accidental displacement, but which will yield when the pouches are engaged by the catcher arms, one of which is indicated at 31, and supported in the usual manner upon the rapidly moving car, a portion of which is indicated at 32, or upon a stationary support alongside the car, as the case may be.

The parts 15 16 and 22-23 are constructed of metal, preferably steel, and will be preferablyv galvanized or otherwise protected against corrosion, while the spring 19 will be of tempered steel and will likewise be galvanized or otherwise protected from corrosion.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured and applied and operates effectually for the purposes as described.

Having thus described the invention,

what is claimed as new is:

1. In a mail bag delivering device, a head member adapted to be secured to a support and having a longitudinal recess in its upper face and a stop shoulder in its lower face, a mail bag supporting finger including a plate bearing beneath the head and against the stop shoulder of the head, a spring engaging in the longitudinal recess of the head and extended for contact with the finger, and a clamp bolt engaging through the plate of the finger, through the head, and through the spring.

2. In a mail bag delivering device, a head member adapted to be secured to a support and having a longitudinal recess in its upper face and a stop shoulder in its lower face, a mail bag supporting finger including a plate bearing beneath the head and against the stop shoulder of the head and with an intermediate stop shoulder for hearing against the outer end of the head, a spring engaging in the longitudinal recess of the head and extended for contact with the finger, and a clamp bolt engaging through the plate of the finger, through the head, and through the spring.

8. In a mail bag delivering device, a head member adapted to be secured to a support and having a longitudinal recess in its upper face, a mail bag supporting finger 1neluding a plate bearing beneath the head, a spring engaging in the longitudinal recess of the head and extended for contact with the finger and a clamp bolt engaging through the plate of the finger, through the head, and through the spring.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY BENDER. [1 s] Witnesses OWEN L. MCGRANN, lVILLIAM E. Nannies.

Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

